How to Care for Your Braces: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients
Getting braces is an exciting step toward a healthier, straighter smile. To get the best results from your orthodontic treatment, it’s important to take good care of your braces and maintain excellent oral hygiene. Proper care ensures your treatment stays on schedule and helps you avoid common issues like broken brackets or tooth decay.
Maintain Excellent Oral Hygiene
Brushing and flossing are more important than ever when you have braces. Food particles and plaque can easily get trapped around the brackets and wires, so you’ll need to be diligent to keep your teeth and braces clean. Aim to brush after every meal and before bed. Use a soft-bristle toothbrush (or an electric toothbrush) and fluoride toothpaste.
Floss once a day, using a floss threader or orthodontic floss pick to get under the wires. It takes extra patience, but this will help prevent cavities and gum issues during treatment. A water flosser can also help rinse out debris. Be consistent with whatever tools you prefer. Keeping your teeth and gums clean will ensure your smile looks great when the braces come off.
Watch What You Eat: Foods to Avoid
Wearing braces means you’ll need to make some temporary changes to your diet to protect the brackets and wires. Many hard or sticky foods can damage your braces, which can set back your treatment. Here are some foods and habits to avoid while wearing braces:
- Sticky candies and gum: Chewy candies or gum can cling to braces and even pull off a bracket.
- Hard candies and nuts: Biting very hard foods (like jawbreaker candies or nuts) can snap wires or break a bracket.
- Crunchy or tough foods: Things like popcorn kernels, ice, and hard bread or crusts can damage braces.
- Corn on the cob & whole apples: Cut corn off the cob and slice hard fruits like apples into pieces. Biting into them can put too much pressure on your brackets.
- Sugary snacks and sodas: They won’t break braces, but sugar causes cavities around brackets if not cleaned off. Limit sweets and soda, and brush well after indulging.
Adjusting your eating habits might be one of the bigger challenges with braces, but it gets easier over time. Focus on braces-friendly foods: cut things into bite-sized pieces, choose softer options when possible, and enjoy plenty of braces-safe fruits and cooked veggies. By being careful with what you eat, you’ll prevent emergencies and keep your orthodontic treatment on track.
Managing Discomfort and Emergencies
It’s normal to have some soreness in your mouth after you first get braces or following adjustment appointments. Your teeth are moving, after all, and that can make them a bit tender. To manage this discomfort, stick to soft foods for a day or two and consider taking an over-the-counter pain reliever (follow the product’s instructions or your orthodontist’s advice).
If brackets or wires are irritating your cheeks or lips, apply a bit of orthodontic wax over the troublesome spot. This will create a smooth surface and give the area time to heal. Rinsing with warm salt water can also soothe sore spots. Overall, any initial soreness or irritation should fade within a few days as you adjust to your braces.
Occasionally, you might encounter a minor braces emergency. Call our orthodontist’s office as addressing these issues promptly will help avoid delays in your treatment.
Follow Instructions and Stay on Schedule
Taking care of your braces also means following all the instructions given by your orthodontist. This includes attending your regular adjustment appointments (usually every 4–8 weeks). These appointments are vital to adjust your braces and ensure your teeth are moving as planned. Skipping visits or delaying them could prolong your overall treatment time.
If your orthodontist asks you to wear rubber bands on your braces to help adjust your bite, wear them exactly as instructed (typically all day except when eating or brushing). Not wearing them as directed will slow down your progress. Also, protect your braces during physical activity. Wear a mouthguard during sports to prevent injuries and damage to your braces.
By following these guidelines (and your orthodontist’s advice), you’ll keep your braces in great shape and avoid setbacks. When your braces come off, you’ll be rewarded with healthy teeth and a fantastic smile.